1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to defroster device and more specifically, to a motor vehicle door lock defroster attachment for use with portable torches such as a propane gas torch.
2. Background Art
During periods of very cold weather, it is not unusual for door linkage mechanisms, such as those found on motor vehicles, to freeze in a closed or locked position due to ice build-up in the vicinity of the mechanism, thus rendering the interior of the vehicle inaccessible to an owner or operator. Locksmiths are generally able to free the frozen linkage mechanism by thawing the surrounding ice with known chemical solvents. However, as the elongated space between a motor vehicle door and door jamb is usually quite narrow, it is often difficult to apply such solvents directly to the linkage mechanism. Also, in very cold and windy weather, such solvents are often rendered incapable of sufficiently thawing the ice so as to free the mechanism from its latched or locked position. In these extreme cases, it is usually necessary to resor to towing the vehicle to a heated garage where the linkage will thaw gradually. Such measures are both costly and inconvenient to the owner of the vehicle.
Therefore, there presently exists a genuine need for an inexpensive, dependable, portable and relatively rapid means for defrosting door linkage mechanisms in below freezing weather.
Attachments for gas torches and other heating devices have previously been deployed inthe creation of heaters for general space heating (U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,876), and more specifically for the heating of automobile oil pans (U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,527) and tires (U.S. Pat. No. 159,820). Such devices, however, are uniformly designed to provide heat over a general area and are not readily adaptable for the provision of directed heat to a specific interior automotive mechanism. Additionally, these devices neither address nor solve specific problems inherent in applying heat to an internal motor vehicle linkage mechanism, such as the possibility of heat damage to the surrounding exterior of the vehicle.